Category Archives: Skincare Reviews

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Shower Gel Review & Pictures

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Shower GelI’ve been using the Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Shower Gel every morning since I bought it – just can’t get enough! It’s my favorite product in the collection.

And I’ve finally put my finger on exactly what it smells like. Yes, there’s a noticeable mixture of vanilla, caramel, cake batter, sugar cookies, and marshmallows that I mentioned in my previous post, but what Vanilla Bean Noel smells exactly like is a soft caramel square. Y’know…the kind you used to melt down in a pot and then coat apples with.

Let me tell you more about the lasting power of the sweet cozy scent, and come get a good look at the Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Shower Gel bottle. Continue reading

Share

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Collection Review & Pictures

Hallowe’en is just over, but here I am already reviewing the Bath and Body Works Holiday Traditions scent that drove me wild – Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel!

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel CollectionAlthough I’m surrounded by co-workers who love Bath & Body Works lotions, I never really got into it…until now. Fiona said, “It just takes that one scent.” Too true! When browsing the store on a whim, I decided to take a whiff of the Vanilla Bean Noel HandiBac. It made my nose smile with the notes of vanilla, caramel, sugar cookie, marshmallow, and cake batter. I wanted to eat it! That’s how delicious it smelled!

Immediately, I knew that I had to get most of the Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Collection. Too bad it’s a limited-time fragrance available only around the holidays or I wouldn’t have to act like a crazed maniac and buy so many back-ups of everything.

In this post, I’ll be giving you my initial impression of the Vanilla Bean Noel fragrance in general, and I’ll show you a few pictures of everything I bought. And then in upcoming posts, I’ll be reviewing each product separately in greater depth as I test them out for a longer period of time. Continue reading

Share

Bath & Body Works Vampire Blood PocketBac Review & Pictures

Bath and Body Works Vampire Blood PocketBacFirst thing’s first. I want to make it very clear that I’m not a Twilight fan. Saw the first movie when my sister-in-law ‘forced’ me to and practically fell asleep because I didn’t like the characters or the plot. Totally don’t understand the phenomenon.

When I saw the Bath & Body Works Vampire Blood PocketBac, Twilight immediately came to mind. Maybe Bath and Body Works planned this? I wouldn’t be surprised, especially since they came out with what they’re calling their ‘Fragrance of the Year’, Twilight Woods.

Despite not liking Twilight, I still bought the Vampire Blood PocketBac. Bath & Body Works made the gel red, of course, and it really catches your eye among their other hand sanitizers. Plus I hadn’t seen this scent available at 2 of my other local stores, so I figured I’d try this bestseller.

Like all the Bath & Body Works Halloween PocketBacs, this one also features a glow-in-the-dark label – come check out a photo I took of that! So what does it smell like? Let me tell you!

Continue reading

Share

Bath & Body Works Zombie Squad PocketBac Review & Pictures

Bath and Body Works Zombie Squad PocketBacHallowe’en is almost here. Are you ready for fright night? Bath & Body Works is! They’ve come out with limited-edition antibacterial gels for the occasion.

After a lot of store hunting, I finally got hold of the Bath & Body Works Zombie Squad PocketBac I really wanted.

This one’s supposed to smell like marshmallows, and it features a menacing silhouette of a hand reaching up. The undead rises from the grave! OoooOOOOooOoo!

What really makes the Bath & Body Works Zombie Squad PocketBac unique is the packaging – it’s not cutesy. And the label glows in the dark! How neat is that?

Come see what I think of the scent, and check out a photo of the label glowing in the dark.

Continue reading

Share

Clarisonic Mia Review & Pictures

Clarisonic MiaUnless you’ve been living under a pumice stone, you’ve no doubt heard the hype surrounding the Clarisonic Mia. Supposedly it removes all traces of makeup, and improves your skin tone. These miraculous accomplishments had to be put to the test, but spending over $100 was hard to swallow.

I finally bit the bullet when I found the pink Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System on The Shopping Channel’s website. Only had to pay in 4 installments, so it made the price tag way more manageable.

And according to the Clarisonic website, with every purchase of the pink Clarisonic Mia, they’ll “make a donation to help women with cancer look and feel like themselves again.” Since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it very fitting to post my Clarisonic Mia review now. Plus I’ve been using it twice daily since September 14, so I’ve given it a fair trial. Continue reading

Share

Bath & Body Works Bat Bite PocketBac Review & Pictures

Bath & Body Works Bat Bite PocketBacHallowe’en is one of my favorite holidays because it gives everyone an excuse to wear insane costumes and embrace their edgy dark side.

So when I discovered Bath & Body Works Halloween PocketBacs, I was as excited as a kid trick-or-treating in a neighborhood that gives out full-size chocolate bars!

I only picked up the Bath & Body Works Bat Bite PocketBac because I didn’t like the licorice scent of the Spider’s Web PocketBac (and these were the only 2 available at the store I went to).

I went to another store and found the other 2 I thought I’d like – Zombie Squad and Vampire Blood. (Expect a review on those later.) But for now, I’m test-driving Bat Bite. It has a crisp apple fragrance and I love how it glows in the dark. (I took a photo of it glowing in the dark. Come see!) Continue reading

Share

Marcelle Essentials Hydration Night Cream Review

** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

I am very excited to announce that I found the most near-perfect night cream for me. Ever. And I’ve tried many and many.

Let me cut to the chase: Marcelle Essentials Hydration Night Cream gives me the hydration my dry skin needs. Yes, my skin feels super soft even when I wake up in the morning.

Why do I call it just “near-perfect”? Well, I’m demanding. I’d like to see someone or some brand create a cream that lasts 24 hours. This little baby does the trick for about 10 (an estimate – don’t quote me please), which is good. During the day though, my skin relies only on the hydration of my moisturizer with SPF, which isn’t enough. But that’s the only picky negative thing I can say about this cream. Continue reading

Share